11/15/08

Rufus

Rufus, 15 hands (on his tall days!), 10 yrs. old, 900 lbs., Quarter horse

Occupation: pleasure, hunter. Owner: Liz, Wappingers Falls, NY

 Rufus is like no other horse.  I don't believe most people will have this experience with the barefoot transition.  When I brought Rufus home on trial, his feet were so long and his shoes so loose that we were almost afraid to ride him. He came with no back shoes.  The day after purchase, Amy pulled his shoes and so began the transition.  We booted him in front for the first month when riding him in the ring or outside.  He was a bit ouchy on some turns with or without boots.  I also booted him when outside for his limited turnout because he was the new guy on the block, and I wanted to make sure he was able to maneuver comfortably and quickly if the hierarchy games became animated.  One month later, he was totally sound without boots and has not had boots on since that day!  He enjoys the extended turnout with Spot and Donatello and spends plenty of time trying to show Spot he is worthy of being in the field with them.  Rufus is a tough horse and is oblivious to any obstacles that stand in his way.  So, it's not surprising to me that he shows no problem with the barefoot life.  Even with the ground so hard, he chooses to tough it out on the gravel rather than go to the grassy path on the side. He is a horse that moves around a lot, and I think this has certainly helped speed up the transition.  Most people are cautious with those tiny quarter horse feet, but both Spot and Rufus have exceeded all expectations that I had about going barefoot.  I never thought that I would have three horses that wouldn't need booting.